More mobility authority transparency, please

Here we go again. For the second time in less than two years – a year and six months to be exact – the environmental group Save Our Springs Alliance has filed a lawsuit against the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority.

To avoid the cost of unnecessary legal fees that potentially affect the cost of its projects, the mobility authority should share information requested on a public project. A determination about the relevance of the information should be left for the public to determine. Standing in the way of transparency further fuels mistrust and speculation.

Much like last March when SOS sought data on the proposed Texas 45 Southwest and its tolls, the non-profit now seeks to force the mobility authority to release “sketch” traffic and revenue estimates from a consultant study of the proposed South MoPac express toll lanes.

The Texas Department of Transportation and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority held a public hearing in July to discuss the proposed changes on Loop 1 (MoPac) at the intersections of Slaughter Lane and La Crosse Avenue. Laura Skelding/AMERICAN-STATESMAN

oPac traffic figures in center interim executive director Mike Abkowitz’s Aug. 21 letter were several times higher than estimates by the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, which plans to build the Texas 45 Southwest tollway and the proposed express toll lanes on South MoPac. The letter said that MoPac south of Slaughter Lane, which now has less than 15,000 vehicles a day on it, would see 314,000 vehicles a day by 2035 if the tollways open.

That is about 50 percent more traffic than on Interstate 35 in downtown Austin.

After the American-Statesman questioned the figures, Abkowitz acknowledged Wednesday that his numbers were way off — traffic demand for a much broader area of the southern metro area was somehow attributed to MoPac alone, he said — and he apologized for the error. The mobility authority’s estimate for 2035, based on a traffic study done by a consultant in 2013, is that MoPac south of La Crosse Avenue would have about 44,000 vehicles a day in 2035.”

It’s the release of miscalculations like these that Mike Heiligenstein, the mobility authority’s executive director, told Wear could fog public discussion:

Again, Wear wrote:

“Heiligenstein said the traffic and revenue figures that Bunch is seeking have been rendered inaccurate and irrelevant by a decision earlier this year to look at up to five alternative designs for the toll lanes. Releasing the estimates now would only cloud the debate, he said, pointing to the wildflower center’s inflated traffic numbers as an example.”

In both cases – the request for data on Texas 45 tolls and for data on South MoPac tolls – the mobility authority has argued that the information should be withheld from public disclosure because they are draft information exempted from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. In each case, the Attorney General’s Office released opinions siding with the agency. Here’s the thing: Citizens shouldn’t have to resort to filing law suits to get information on projects that are backed by taxpayer dollars.

It’s stances like these that lead to valid criticism and question the mobility authority’s motive. Answering questions and being transparent is not something the mobility authority should shy away from.

Taxpayers have the right to be informed fully throughout the process. Entities who choose to work on public projects, have to understand the scrutiny that comes with accepting the job. The mobility authority should know better.

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